


Eyes on Me

by dat_heichou



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fantasy AU, M/M, Oikawa is a witch and he likes to meddle, Tsukki likes to complain and overthink, Yamaguchi just likes Tsukki, side iwaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 19:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8172472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dat_heichou/pseuds/dat_heichou
Summary: All Tsukishima wants is to be invisible.  So of course he's cursed to be everything but.





	

Kei hadn’t believed in magic in years, not since his brother read fairy tales for him when he was in elementary school. So if you had asked Kei how he felt about magic a year ago, he would have laughed and said “only little kids believe in magic.”  Now that magic is officially the bane of his existence, well he supposes the joke’s on him.

Kei’s always found school draining, even on a good day.  Just the idea of hundreds of his peers in the same building, loud and excitable, is overwhelming.  Of course, it’s even worse now.

“Surely, Tsukishima-kun knows the answer.”

Kei wants to faceplant into his desk as he’s called on for the fifth time in math class alone.  He only resists the temptation because his entire class is  _ already  _ staring at him (because of  _ course _ they are, what else would they look at) and he doesn’t want to give them a larger performance than necessary.

He bites his lip as he stands and makes his way to the chalkboard.  He solves the problem (well, at least he’s  _ good  _ at math), wishing he could block out the awed murmurs of his classmates, louder now that his back is turned.   _ It’s not even that hard,  _ he gripes to himself,  _ any of you idiots could have done it. _

Luckily, the class finally ends and the lunch period bell rings.  Kei scrambles to leave the classroom, to find a nice secluded place to eat alone, when a line forms in front of him.

_ Shit _ , he curses to himself, as the girl directly in front of him flutters her eyelashes.

“Tsukishima-kun, I made these cookies in home-ec and I was hoping you’d accept them.”  When she giggles shyly, a chorus of encouragement chimes out in the line behind her, which is now extending down the hall as other classes join his.

The last thing Kei wants is to encourage this irritating behavior, but it's out of his power to actually discourage it.  He’s tried everything he can think of: claim to be in a relationship, throw the gifts out, refuse them, call them names to their faces, but yet they all continue to giggle and fawn over him like he’s some sort of infallible pop-idol.

At least he hasn’t made anyone cry in three months.  That was the whole point of the curse, after all.   _ “Such a selfish boy,”  _ the voice in his memory chides, louder than the ghostly sniffles in the background.

Kei sighs before holding out his hands to accept the cookies.  “Thank you,” he mumbles, praying the line will move fast enough to let him eat lunch today.

* * *

 

By the time the last school bell rings, Kei is starving.  The only highlight of the day is that since he’d accepted so many gifts and letters during lunch, the after-school line is relatively short.  So he finds himself tucked away in the courtyard, eating his lunch only a half hour after school lets out.

_ Thank goodness it’s a full moon,  _ he sighs,  _ I can’t take much more of this. _

Even so, he does eat the home-ec cookies, grateful that his admirer is good at baking.  The last classmate that had given him cookies had burnt them so badly that they felt like gravel in his mouth.

* * *

 

Surprisingly, his mother doesn’t say much about his monthly late night walks.  “Be back by 9, don’t talk to strangers, and text me if something comes up,” she reminds him as he slips out the front door after dinner.

“I know, don’t worry.”  The words slip out of his mouth without effort, the same ones he tells her on every full moon since magic officially ruined his life.

He briskly walks down the street, his long strides allowing him to quickly leave the residential area behind him.  After a few minutes, he arrives in the familiar park he used to play in as a child.  It's currently pretty empty; all the children called home before the sun set.

Nostalgia comforts Kei as he makes his way toward the old tree in the center of the park.  As he walks past their favorite parts of the park, he remembers how much fun he and his brother had together when they were younger.  The park has been the same since he was young, it's only changes a few coats of paint.  But on nights of the full moon, there’s an unwarranted addition.

From a distance, the tree still looks the same.  But up close, Kei can see the oval-shaped door with a cheeky “welcome!” engraved into it, centered just above the tree’s gnarled roots.

He opens the door and walks into the brightly decorated shop.  There are bottles and vials of brightly colored potions lining the shelves, with a few odd trinkets and charms interspersed between them.   The curious part of Kei wonders what they all do, but he squashes that thought quickly.  He’s only in this shop because magic is a hassle and once he gets the curse lifted, he’s never  _ thinking  _ about magic again.

These thoughts push him onward toward the shop’s main counter, where the source of all his suffering is currently sitting with his long legs propped on the only uncluttered section of the counter.  He’s typing away on his phone but those deep brown eyes still catch him before Kei gets close.

“Welcome, Tsu-chan,” he sings, tucking his phone away, “and how can I help you today?”

“Aren’t you done yet, Oikawa?” Kei sighs, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“That counts as your first question today,” the man gives him a broad grin.  “And nope, Tsu-chan.  You haven’t learned your lesson yet.”

Kei groans.  “I’m being nicer, isn’t that what you wanted?”

“It needs to be more than that,” Oikawa hums, “you need to care about people’s feelings.  Popularity takes responsibility, after all.”  The witch winks before adding, “That was your second question.  Only one left.  You sure suck at this.”

Kei groans again but bites his tongue, taking a few extra moments to think through his words.  “I never wanted to be popular in the first place,” he grumbles.

“Neither did I, Tsu-chan, but it's simply a price to pay for beauty.”  He runs his fingers through his hair before peeking back at Kei.  “You have your own charms, I suppose.”  He turns back to his phone.  “If you’re just coming every month to complain, then you’re wasting both of our time.”

Kei opens his mouth to complain again when the door behind him chimes.  Both Kei and the witch shift their attention to the newcomer, who shrinks under their attention.  It looks like he’s almost as tall and lanky as Kei, but it's difficult to tell with his hunched posture.  His dark brown hair is messy and long, hiding part of his face.  What Kei can see is covered in freckles.

“Why hello there,” Oikawa purrs, straightening his posture and sitting up professionally behind the counter he had been previously draped over.  Kei rolls his eyes at the sudden customer service act, but takes a step to the side, giving the actual customer space to approach the witch.  A part of Kei wants to warn the kid off, to tell him that magic is a life-ruiner, not a cure, but the last thing he wants to do is openly piss Oikawa off more.

“Um,” the stranger mumbles, looking more at the colorful items cluttering the shop than either of the young men currently watching him.  He takes a few steps forward but still remains a solid three feet away from the counter.  “I've heard you sell… potions and remedies?”

“That’s correct,” Oikawa smiles.  The expression is surprisingly gentle, a sign that he’s taking the boy’s nervousness into consideration. Kei can’t help but be mildly impressed at the difference.  “What exactly are you looking for?”

“Um,” the boy murmurs, his barely visible cheeks reddening as he gathers his words.  “I was wondering if you have something to help with being more confident?”  He ducks his head down to examine his shoes, avoiding whatever their reaction will be.

Something about the request doesn’t sit well in Kei’s stomach.  He feels bad for this kid and if Oikawa gives him something too overwhelming, he would hate to think about what kind of extra problems he could end up with.  As Kei looks over at Oikawa, he’s surprised to see the older teen appraising the boy with furrowed eyebrows, an earnest seriousness in his eyes.  

“I can make you something, but it will take me a month to gather the ingredients.  Does that work?”  

“Oh, of course,” the brunette splutters, looking up from the floor but not quite at them.

“In the meantime, maybe my dear friend Tsu-chan can help.”

Kei turns toward Oikawa so quickly that he nearly gives himself whiplash.  He shoots him an incredulous look, but Oikawa only smiles back.  He mouths the words “work with me.”

That’s all the attention the witch gives him before turning to his customer, asking more specific questions about what he’s looking for.  Kei zones out for a moment, letting them have more privacy.  He can feel attention on himself but when Kei glances over, they’re both looking away. 

“For now, Tsu-chan, walk Yama-chan home and exchange numbers.  If you need me, Tsu-chan can get ahold of me.”

Kei wants to exclaim, “No I fucking can’t, that’s why I’m here,” but he decides to play it safe and keep his mouth shut.

“I have a very important appointment, so I’ll let you two get acquainted.  Tsu-chan, make sure you help Yama-chan as much as possible, okay.”

A door appears behind Oikawa and they hear a deep voice call for him before a gentle but insistent force ushers Kei and “Yama-chan” toward the door.

Once they’re outside, it's a little awkward.  The brunette can’t seem to make up his mind if he wants to stare at Kei or pretend he’s not there.  But Kei can deal with awkward, his whole life is pretty awkward, so he bites the bullet and turns to the boy beside him.  “Yama-chan” is busy staring at his old, worn shoes and Kei has to clear his throat to get his attention.

“So I guess I should walk you home then.” 

* * *

“So you’re still hexing that kid?” Iwaizumi asks, raising a bushy eyebrow.  He crosses his arms as he leans back against the wall of his friend’s magic-y tree house.  A part of him knows that he should feel more concerned by the fact he’s technically inside a tree that’s not normally hollow, but considering how long he’s known Oikawa, he’s pretty used to such strange things.

“I’m not  _ still  _ doing anything!  I cast a spell on him and it happens to still be in effect,” Oikawa remarks primly.

“Don’t you feel bad for him?  Can’t you cancel it or something?”

Oikawa sighs.  Though Hajime has been his best friend for years, he apparently hasn’t taken in much of the whole laws of magic stuff.  “Tsu-chan  _ is  _ feeling bad about it, so I  _ do  _ feel a little guilty about how much he dislikes it.  But once magic is cast, it needs to follow its own course.  Haven’t you witnessed enough of my attempts to interfere with the course of magic?  It never ends well.”

“All of your magic is an interference in something,” Iwaizumi remarks, “so by those standards nothing should end well.  Why’d you use magic on this kid in the first place?”

The witch pouts, sending a dirty look Iwa-chan’s way.  “You said I’m too irresponsible as a witch!”  He huffs as his friend responds “you  _ are”  _ and charges onward.  “So I decided that if I used my powers to teach a lesson, then I’d prove you wrong.”

Iwaizumi’s mouth falls open at the sudden revelation.  “So... you’re saying this is  _ my  _ fault?”

Oikawa bites his lip but waves his guilt away like a pesky fly.  “It’s a  _ learning  _ experience.  Once he learns his lesson, he’ll be so happy he’ll want to thank us!”  With this thought, he pulls out his phone and sends a text.  His smile widens as he remarks, “I think he’ll crack the spell this month, actually.”

Kei’s back at home, comfortable in bed, when his phone lights up.  His screen reads “The Great Oikawa-sama” and he can’t help but just stare at the display for a moment.  He had never exchanged numbers with the witch before, but knowing Oikawa Kei’s not too surprised.

With a sigh, he unlocks his screen and opens the message.  The witch can be a hassle, but Kei’s willing to talk to him, if only to get an explanation for earlier.  The walk home with “Yama-chan,” or Yamaguchi Tadashi, as he discovered, was overall pretty pleasant.  Though the boy’s excitement about potentially working with the witch, and therefore Tsukishima, makes Kei a little unsettled.  

**The Great Oikawa-sama:** Hey, Tsu-chan!  Did you have fun with Yama-chan?? :D

Kei raises an eyebrow in response.  There’s absolutely no explanation awaiting for him at all, and until he gets one he’s not satisfying the witch’s curiosity.

**Me:** Why did you tell him we were friends? And that i’d contact you?? Why didn’t you just give him /your/ number?

**The Great Oikawa-sama:** Because we /are/ friends Tsu-chan!! ;* 

                                         And besides, if Yama-chan spends time with you, both of you guys get an extra friend! So win-win, right? :D

**Me:** very funny. Don’t make me responsible for you

**Lame-o Oikawa:**  I’m hurt Tsu-chan!! But seriously, please help Yama-chan out.  Making friends should help with the confidence thing and I wanna avoid using invasive magic w/ him. U should understand that!

Kei stares at the text, thinking it over.  Spending time with the kid isn’t too bad, if that’s all Oikawa expects of him.  Besides, letting magic ruin someone else’s life is something he’d rather avoid, if possible.  Before he can type a response though, another text comes in.

**Lame-o Oikawa:** If you help Yama-chan, I might be able to break your spell ;)

Well, the added incentive decides it.   _ I don’t know if I can really make someone feel better about themselves, but I can’t be any worse than some half-assed spell.  _  Kei just hopes that somehow he doesn’t say something rude (he’s self-aware enough to know that his tongue can be sharp the majority of the time) that would end up hurting Yamaguchi more.

**Me:** Since I have your # that means i can ask 3 questions a day now

**Lame-o Oikawa:** Ugh fine, but just take care of Yama-chan.  Play nice!!

* * *

**Me:** There’s an age range on the spell, isn’t there?

**Miraculous Oikawa-sama:** I’m not irresponsible, Tsu-chan.  Adults crushing on you would be creepy

**Me:** Glad to know you have common sense

**Miraculous Oikawa-sama:** You know what youre rude. I’m revoking your question privileges for today

“Are you texting Oikawa-san again?” Yamaguchi asks as they walk home together, just as they have every day in the two weeks since they’ve met.  “You two sure get along.”

“No we don’t,” Kei grumbles, shoving his phone back into his pants’ pocket.  “Honestly, I don’t understand why he doesn’t just text you, since you’re the one looking for magic.”

“He does, sometimes,” Yamaguchi remarks.  “Well, he sent me a message saying to ask him if I have any questions, but, I um, don’t want to be a bother.”

Kei can’t help but notice that Yamaguchi hasn’t texted him either, though they exchanged numbers after he walked him home the first time.  “Bother him all you want.  He deserves it.”

Yamaguchi snorts at Kei’s dry remark, trying to hide his laughter behind his hands.  Kei smiles himself, glad that he’s capable of making him laugh.  They reach their separate paths too quickly and the mood is so nice that Kei doesn’t want to leave.  He can see Yamaguchi fiddling with the strap on his backpack, hesitating in his tracks.  But they _ do  _ need to get going.

“See you tomorrow,” Kei says, turning toward his street.

“Ah, yes!” Yamaguchi chirps and Kei peeks back to see his friend turn toward his own house.

Kei goes home and unlocks the door for himself while his phone vibrates in his pocket.

**Oikawa the wise + beautiful:**  Have you asked Yama-chan about sports? Being part of a team could boost confidence!

Honestly, Kei hasn’t considered sports since he entered high school.   _ A team atmosphere might do Yamaguchi some good though.   _ Kei doesn’t respond to the text and instead changes the contact name back to something less embarrassing (everytime Kei looks at his phone, Oikawa’s contact changes to something embarrassing and egotistical. It's an abuse of magic, if Kei ever saw one), not willing to boost Oikawa’s ego by admitting he might be onto something.

Kei brings the topic up at lunch the next day.  They’re in Yamaguchi’s classroom, eating at his desk.  Kei has taken to slipping away from his fangirls to join his friend for about a week now, but Yamaguchi still acts surprised when Kei borrows a nearby chair to sit down across from him.

Yamaguchi’s classmates mill around, their attention prickling at Kei’s skin.  Yamaguchi shrinks a little whenever he looks up to see people watching them, but Kei’s grateful that they’re polite enough to keep their distance.

“Are you interested in any of the sports clubs?” Kei asks without any preface.

“Oh?” Yamaguchi asks, finally stopping his nervous glances around the room to look at Kei’s chin.  “I’m not sure…  Are you, Tsu-Tsukishima-kun?”  He tends to stutter over Kei’s name in a way that makes him wonder if Oikawa’s nickname tries to tumble out of his mouth first. 

“Not particularly, but I could be talked into it.”  He tries to catch Yamaguchi’s eye, but the brunette is still staring at his food, nibbling at his lip.  

“I’ll think about it then,” he replies softly and then they go back to eating in comfortable silence.

Kei forgets about the sports thing for a few days.  He figures that Yamaguchi’s not interested after all and Kei’s not hypocritical enough to try and push him into it.  So Kei is doubly surprised to receive a text from Yamaguchi that reads “I’ve been curious about volleyball.”

Kei has personal experience with volleyball; his brother taught him the basics and convinced him to join the team in middle school.  He’s lost interest since his brother’s graduation, but a rogue thought whispers “ _ it might be nice to try again.”   _ Besides, it's a sport where it helps to be tall and it might convince Yamaguchi to stop slouching and stand a little straighter.

Joining Karasuno’s volleyball team is simple enough.  The team is rather small and working on becoming a powerhouse again, so they’re excited for two new members.  For the first two weeks, the upperclassmen take turns teaching Yamaguchi the basics of the sport, leaving Kei to the whims of the rest of the team.  Honestly he doesn’t mind them, though their high energy levels are more suited for the Olympic stadium than a high school gym.  The biggest hassles are the other first years, who are far too excited and serious about the sport.

Kei’s not too invested in it, but he does admit its nice that the sport is heavily ingrained in his muscle memory.  Now, he and Yamaguchi walk home together a few hours later than they had before.  Yamaguchi, timid and quiet at practice around so many new people, finally gushes about how excited he is to play and how much their upperclassmen say he’s improving.  He also exclaims over how good Kei is and how much fun he must have in their practice games.  Kei complains that the other first years will run him to exhaustion, but the glimmer of excitement in Yamaguchi’s eyes doesn’t diminish.  Instead he just laughs, as he usually does when Kei melodramatically complains about the world, and Kei bites back a smile.

A few more weeks pass and Yamaguchi finally gets to join the rest of the team in their practice games.  He’s still a little gangly and uncoordinated, but he does his best.  Seeing Yamaguchi throw himself into the game with people far more experienced, Kei can’t help but jump a little higher for his own blocks.

* * *

Kei hasn’t forgotten about his curse.  It would be impossible to, considering his fanclub still tries to detain him during lunch and after volleyball practice.  But at the same time, the curse is less of the bane of his existence and more of an extra hassle that slips his mind once in awhile.  Yamaguchi and volleyball give him other things to think about and thankfully for whatever reason, the team seems immune to his charms.  Kei initially chalks it up to a gender bias in the spell, but their first away game proves him wrong.

It’s also the first time he sees the spell actually take effect.

After the match, the teams line up to shake hands with their opponent.  Karasuno ended up losing, but since it’s just a practice match, Kei’s really not that put out by it.  The player across the net is just as tall as Kei, so their eyes meet as they politely take each other’s hands.

The original exhaustion in the other player’s eyes disappears as they widen and his pupils dilate drastically, seemingly unable to look away from Kei.  When he finally does break free, the boy looks down at their connected hands, a blush overtaking his fair features.

They’re supposed to move down the line, but the boy doesn’t let go, still holding tight to Kei’s hand.  Kei tries to pull away, but the other boy doesn’t seem to notice until the guy next to him clears his throat harshly.  The distraction is enough for Kei to slip away, but he can feel the eyes linger on his skin, just like with his fangirls at school.

Luckily for Kei, he’s standing between Hinata and Yamaguchi in line.  Hinata, the volleyball-obsessed child he is, is too oblivious to notice the exchange, so Kei’s free from the teasing of their teammates.  But he knows Yamaguchi saw what happened.  Even worse, Yamaguchi keeps glancing between the two of them curiously while the teams pack up.

Kei doesn’t say anything, though the sudden reminder of the potency of Oikawa’s magic rattles him.  He’s cautious to avoid his team’s attention though and waits until the bus home is full of a chorus of snores before he sends Oikawa a panicky text.

**Me:** Its eye contact isn’t it?

**Oikawa-sama ✨:** what Tsu-chan?

**Me** : the spell is cast through eye contact

**Oikawa-sama ✨:** yes. I’m impressed you figured it out

The clarification does little to calm Kei.  He’s not one to seek eye-contact on a normal basis, but he’s also not someone who avoids it either.  But he supposes it’s best to keep his head down for the foreseeable future.

Yamaguchi sighs in his sleep in the seat beside him, his head falling onto Kei’s shoulder.  It’s not something he would have thought about before, but Kei wonders if he knows what color Yamaguchi’s eyes are.  And if he doesn’t, he’s thankful for it.

* * *

For the first time in a month, Kei is caught by a line of admirers in the classroom.  He supposes he should have expected this, since they’ve been so patient lately.  But at the same time, he figured that they would have found something better to do by now.  He can’t slip between them, and he knows it’ll be better if he just accepts it.  

In their friendship, he’s always been the person to initiate their luncheon meetings.  Yamaguchi eventually became less surprised by the gesture, but he still seems to be afraid of being a bother.  Ke knows better than to expect Yamaguchi to come look for him.

Practice is especially hard that day.  Kei’s stomach wails in frustration at him and exhaustion builds in his bones, making it harder and harder to jump for his blocks.  He can feel the eyes of all of his teammates on him, and he hates that they know something’s off with him.  Eventually, Daichi and Suga pull him off the court, giving him reproachful looks.

Kei opens his mouth to say that he’s fine, that he can keep up, just as his stomach decides to growl.  They sigh and Kei can’t help but duck his head in embarrassment.   Sugawara waves over to the team manager and she brings him a granola bar.

“You need to take better care of yourself, Tsukishima-kun,” Daichi frowns, planting his hands on his hips.  “Don’t let this happen again.”

“Next time say something,” Sugawara says in a more gentle tone than their captain, but no less seriously.  “It’s not healthy to play on an empty stomach.  We’re about done for today, so you can eat this and go get changed.”

Kei does as he’s told without complaint, thankful that he has the extra time to change before the rest of the team gangs up on him.  He’s just finished pulling on his uniform pants and about to change out of his practice jersey when the clubroom door swings open behind him.  He jolts, turning to see Yamaguchi panting in the doorway.

“Um, hi,” Kei mumbles, turning back toward his locker to continue changing.  Yamaguchi joins him, changing at his locker beside Kei’s.  It’s silent between them, and there’s a tenseness that hasn’t been there before.

“I thought I did something wrong,” Yamaguchi finally says, catching Kei’s attention.

“Huh?”

“When you didn’t come for lunch, I thought I did something wrong,” Yamaguchi says, his voice a touch louder than before.  “I kept thinking about it all day, what I could have done.”  He turns to look at him and for once, Kei is the one to make sure their eyes avoid contact, focusing intently on his friend’s jawline instead.  “But you didn’t eat at all, did you?”

Kei swallows thickly before he sighs.  “No, I was too busy to eat today.  It’s not your fault, you’re just as… great as always.”

Yamaguchi frowns, but lets it go.  “Let’s get dressed before the others show up.  You don’t need everyone else telling you to take care of yourself too.”

Their walk home is a little awkward, considering everything, but as they stop to go their separate ways, Yamaguchi catches himself.  “Oikawa texted me and said that he’ll need more time for the spell, so there’s not much point in going to his shop this weekend.”

_ Oh yeah, that _ is  _ this weekend, isn’t it?  _  For the first month since he’d been cursed, Kei had forgotten to track the lunar cycle.  “Guess not, huh?  Are you disappointed?”

“Nope,” Yamaguchi replies easily.  They’re about to turn their separate ways when Yamaguchi abruptly stops, blurting out, “Do you want to hang out at my house on the full moon instead?”

Outside of school and practice they haven’t spent much time together, besides their walks home.  Being invited to Yamaguchi’s house makes Kei almost  _ excited.   _ He can’t help but smile when he answers, “Sure.”

* * *

The lunchtime crowd is intense again the next day, encouraged by Kei’s attention from the day before.  Honestly, Kei can’t remember how he managed to slip away before, and now here he is, trapped by overly enthusiastic girls (and a few boys lingering casually among them) that just want his attention.   _ Two days of not eating lunch will surely piss Daichi off, _ Kei thinks, more worried about the idea than he’ll ever admit.   _ If someone asks it's not like I can really explain or anything. _

Before five minutes pass, there’s a murmur moving through the crowd, starting at the back near the door.  Kei ignores it, resigned to trying to accept the gifts as quickly as possible.  But then a familiar freckled face pops up behind the giggly girl he’s currently talking to.

“Tsukishima-kun needs to eat,” Yamaguchi tells the crowd, before grabbing Kei by the arm and politely making his way back to the door.  Kei briefly wonders if he’s dreaming, because this is the most people he’s ever see Yamaguchi talk to, let alone at once.  Plus, it's surprisingly easy the way the admirers let them through.  The only people who’ve said anything about the idol-worship before were a handful of teachers, and then the crowds whined that technically it wasn’t against the school rules and shouldn’t be criticized.  This time, there’s no complaints, no pouting.

In fact, the only noise in the crowd is of soft encouragements, like there are when the person at the front of the line is especially shy and their peers feel that they need a little extra support.  A thought almost chokes Kei as Yamaguchi leads him down the hallway, stride brisk but not quite nervous;  _ the fanclub almost treats him as one of their own. _

They make it to Yamaguchi’s classroom without a hiccup and the brunette sits at his desk as though nothing out of the ordinary has happened.  Kei simply stares at him for a moment before he catches himself and goes to borrow a chair to sit in.

“You shouldn’t let them keep you from doing important things, like eating.  What if you get hurt at practice, or something?” Yamaguchi chides lightly, opening up his bento box.

“Yeah,” Kei mumbles, staring down at his own lunch.  Throughout their meal he’s distracted, trying to remember if he’s ever caught Yamaguchi’s eyes before.

* * *

During the next two days, Kei can’t stop thinking about it.  The little scared thought that “ _ maybe Yamaguchi is only friends with me because of Oikawa’s spell,”  _ catches him unaware more often than not.  He doesn’t like thinking about the idea, especially because he really enjoys how nice their friendship is.  Yamaguchi really has opened up with him, no longer too nervous about texting or starting conversations.  He sends Kei pictures of his neighbor’s dogs and of interesting plants and bugs he sees on the sidewalk.

Kei’s found that he really enjoys his friendship with Yamaguchi.  It’s the closest he’s ever been with anyone besides his brother, and he really doesn’t want to lose their friendship.  The paranoid part of him is afraid that Yamaguchi’s friendship is purely created by Oikawa’s magic, like his overwhelming popularity at school.  But at the same time, if it  _ is  _ magic, that means when the spell breaks, then it will all go away, the shared lunches, the peaceful walks home, the inside jokes. Kei’s heart aches at the thought.

So by the time Saturday rolls around, Kei is full of mixed feelings.  He’s looking forward to it, because it's a new step in their friendship, a sign that Yamaguchi is comfortable enough with him to show him his home.  But at the same time, he knows he’s going to overthink the entire time he’s there.

They walk home after Saturday’s practice, like nothing’s different.  But then they walk to Yamaguchi’s house, and he lets him in.  It’s a little smaller than Kei’s house, but it's cosy and comforting, like the way Kei feels when he’s with Yamaguchi.  Kei likes it, but it also hurts.  Because he wants their friendship to be genuine so badly.  He wants this to be real.

“My mom’s still at work, so it's just us right now,” Yamaguchi says as they take off their shoes in the entryway.  “I hope that’s alright.”

“Yeah,” Kei answers, but there’s a lump in his throat.

Yamaguchi tells him to get comfortable on the couch while he rifles through the family’s dvd collection.  They eventually decide on the first Hobbit movie and settle in on the couch as the menu loads, a respectable distance between them.

They’re pretty quiet through the beginning of the movie, which is sort of strange for them.  

When they get to the scene where Gandalf marks Bilbo’s door, leading to the dwarven takeover of his home, Yamaguchi startles Kei by laughing, leaning over suddenly to place his head on Kei’s shoulder.

Kei freezes, but his friend doesn’t seem to notice as he whispers, “You know, I can see Oikawa as Gandalf now.  Is that how you met?  He helped strangers take over your home?”

Kei turns away to cough into his hand, before smirking, “Yeah, he took over my life alright.”   _ More than you know.   _ “I mean, I don’t have a big deadly quest, but he  _ did  _ shackle me up with you.”

Yamaguchi laughs lightly, the sound simultaneously easing Kei’s heart and making it beat faster.  “That he did.  I’m glad though.”

Kei’s heart is pounding so hard he’s afraid it can be heard over the movie.  But somehow, they relax back into watching the screen, passing deadpan commentary back and forth for the rest of the film.  As nervous as he is, Kei can feel himself relaxing into it, just enjoying their time together, even though Yamaguchi is still leaning into his side.  It’s nice, and for the first time in three days, Kei lets himself enjoy it, without thinking about magic.

Before he realizes it, the credits are rolling and Kei knows Yamaguchi’s getting tired.  It  _ is _ a long movie after all, and it’s getting late.  His friend keeps yawning and shifting in his position, as though trying to burrow himself into Kei’s body heat.

As Kei stretches his back though, Yamaguchi shifts too, blinking quickly to reawaken himself.  “You know, Oikawa-san told me that nicknames help deepen a friendship,” he muses sleepily, watching as the list of actors scroll by.

“I bet,” Kei frowns, thinking about the ridiculous number of times he’s been called “Tsu-chan.”  Too many for a thousand lifetimes, if he’s honest.

“So… I was wondering, since we’re friends,” Yamaguchi shifts again, slipping down the couch cushions in a boneless way until the entire length of his legs are hanging off the seat.  “I was wondering if I could call you a nickname.”

Kei feels his cheeks overheat at the thought.  “Not Tsu-chan.”

“Not Tsu-chan,” Yamaguchi echoes, laughing gently.  “So… is Tsukki okay?”  

“I guess.”  Kei’s answer is quieter than he had intended, but he doesn’t want to amend his statement and risk saying something even _ more _ embarrassing.

Yamaguchi shifts beside him again, pulling himself to sit normally on the couch cushions.  He places a hand on Kei’s shoulder, with no timidity in the gesture, and Kei can’t help but look over.

“Thanks, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi smiles as their eyes meet.  His eyes are a soft brown, with lighter golden highlights when the light hits them just right.  And that’s when Kei knows for certain that he’s screwed.

* * *

 

After that, Kei pays extra attention to Yamaguchi and the way he reacts to him, his voice, his body language, and his expressions.  He hasn’t really changed since the movie night, not much at least.  He’s more confident in letting their eyes meet, though it makes Kei’s heart pound when he does.  And then of course there’s the nickname.  Everytime Yamaguchi calls out “Tsukki” in his bubbly, happy voice, Kei feels like he’s dying.  It’s a nice feeling, but Kei doesn’t think his heart can take it.  Their teammates tease them about it and sometimes they try to use the nickname too, but Kei quickly shuts them down (which leads to more teasing, of course, but it's preferable to being called by weird names all the time by everybody).

But honestly, Yamaguchi isn't really that different since their eye-contact.  Which scaries Kei, because it implies that maybe, their first open eye-contact was awhile ago and Yamaguchi’s been afflicted by Oikawa’s curse the entire time.

Throughout his experience with the curse, he’s learned that people express affection and infatuation in many different ways.  The most popular way is through gift giving, especially since the gift lines have been, for some strange reason Kei can’t comprehend, normalized at school.  

But not all people are as openly direct.  Some people simply watch him all the time, peeking at him enough for Kei to notice before they quickly blush and avert their eyes.  Other people straight out oogle him, with no shame in being caught.  (Kei’s since noticed that his long legs are a common attraction.)

Some people… are just friendly.  They go out of their way to open doors or make space for him in the hallways and the only way Kei realizes it has something to do with Oikawa’s magic is because of the sheer frequency of it, as if they’re actively going out of their way to do him a favor.

So… it’s quite possible that Yamaguchi is just expressing the spell in a more casual, less straightforward way.  And the thought outright scares Kei.  The idea that his friend, who’s rapidly actually becoming his best friend, is only staying around because of magic is the worst thing he can think of.

But the longer Kei thinks about it, the more it makes sense.  He knows he’s harsh and sarcastic, and generally a turn off.  Sure he was popular before the curse, but he’s realistic to know it was mostly for his looks.  The minute they actually confessed and talked to him, they were quickly deterred by his mouth.

_ “I really like you, can we please go on a date?” a girl asks, twisting her long brown braid around her fingers nervously. _

_ “Not interested,” Kei blandly remarks, eyeing the pink stationary in her hand dubiously.  “I don't even know you.” _

_ “You… can get to know me.  We can start as friends.”  Her voice is thicker now, as though ready to cry.  Kei doesn’t heed the sound. _

_ “No thanks, I don’t want fake friendship like that.”  _

_ Now, she cries, big tears roll down her cheeks and she quickly tries to hide her face in her hands.  She hurries away, crumpling her pink letter in her fist as she wipes at her face roughly. _

_ Kei feels a pang of guilt.  He’s not trying to be intentionally mean.  He’s just honest and blunt.  He doesn’t want to get to know her, and he really doesn’t care if she thinks she has feelings for him or not.  She probably doesn’t, she’s just deluded herself into thinking she does. _

_ “Such a selfish boy,” a swave voice calls out behind him.  Kei turns to see an older teenager with brown hair styled into artful waves around his face.  Kei’s never seen him before and he just wants to walk away.  So he does, without a second glimpse back. _

_ But the other young man follows him, not perturbed by Kei’s obvious attempt to ignore him.  “You didn’t have to make her cry, you know.”  Kei grits his teeth in annoyance but stays silent, walking a little faster. _

_ After a few blocks there’s finally silence so Kei stops for a moment, sighing with relief that he’s finally lost the guy. _

_ “You should at least be a little more sympathetic.  Telling someone their feelings are fake is a big no no.”  The words are closer than they should be and though Kei was positive he was alone a few minutes ago, the stranger is directly beside him, giving him a dramatic pout. _

_ “It’s none of your business,” Kei finally says, turning to give the guy a harsh glare.   _

_ “Hmm, maybe not,” he hums, giving Kei a considerate once-over, “but maybe I want to do my civic duty to make the world a better place.” _

_ Kei opens his mouth to retort--something along the lines of “who are you?” or “what’s that supposed to mean?”--when the young man places a hand on his shoulder, sending a burst of energy through him, sparking to life under his fingertips and traveling down until it escapes through the soles of Kei’s feet. _

So yeah, Kei’s too selfish and rude and unsympathetic to deserve a friend, especially a friend like Yamaguchi. 

After making this realization, Kei can’t stop thinking about it, distracting and distancing himself from the people around him.  The whole team notices, but they don’t seem to know what to do about it.  A few members do ask if he’s okay, several times in fact.  But Kei just shrugs their concern off.

Yamaguchi is another story.  He doesn’t say anything outright about Kei’s distractedness, but Kei can feel him looking at him even more than usual.  The paranoid part of Kei whispers,  _ it’s those shy glances like your fans do,  _ but he does his best to push the idea away.  But those thoughts linger, just like all the others.

When Yamaguchi laughs at one of his jokes, when he waits for him so they can walk home together, when he texts him a picture of his neighbor’s cute dog, all Kei can think is, _fake, fake,_ _it’s gotta be fake._ Because no one’s ever been this close to Kei and stuck around.  No one’s wanted to be friends with such a salty drama king.  So Yamaguchi can’t _really_ want to be with him.  Kei’s too selfish and uncaring, after all.  Oikawa practically said it himself.

The logical side of Kei tries to reason that he’s actually being an okay friend.  Yamaguchi doesn’t care as much about Oikawa’s magic confidence elixirs anymore and he’s become more comfortable talking to people.  But then again, that could just be effects of joining the volleyball team and stepping outside of his comfort zone.   _ Yeah, the team did it,  _ Kei sighs,  _ I didn’t do anything. _

When Yamaguchi does ask what’s wrong, Kei can’t evade the question as well as he can with other team members.  Of course, Yamaguchi knows him too well.  So Kei makes up excuses.  “I’m just tired,” “I haven’t been sleeping well lately,” “I have a lot on my mind.”  None of those are lies, exactly.  They’re just parts of a bigger picture that he knows he can’t share with Yamaguchi.

Miraculously, Kei can the rest of the month before chasing down Oikawa.  He’d thought of calling the witch before then, but Kei’s a little afraid of the witch not answering or hanging up on him.  So, on the next full moon, Kei heads for the shop in the park by himself, not waiting for his friend.

He arrives earlier than he normally would, which is obvious when Oikawa is distracted by other visitors.  There’s three other young men with him, but Kei doesn’t bother paying much attention to them, solely focused on the witch who’s singly-handedly ruined his life. He’s had enough.

“Break the spell,” he blurts out, more forcefully and loudly than he had intended.

“What, Tsu-chan?”  Oikawa asks, surprised to see him.  “Where’s Yama--”

“Break the spell!” Kei exclaims, cutting him off before he can finish the stupid as hell nickname he made for Kei’s fake best friend.  “I did my part, he’s happier and more confident now, so  _ break the spell.”   _ His voice breaks toward the end, and even though everyone else in the room is staring at him, Kei can’t feel embarrassed about it.  He’s just too upset.

“Tsukishima,” Oikawa calls his name cautiously, reaching out a hand to hold onto Kei’s shoulder.  Kei can’t even enjoy the absence of his shitty nickname because he’s so frustrated.  “I… I can’t break it.  That’s not really how magic works.”

Kei throws the hand off of him, glaring daggers at the witch, who at least has the decency to look a little guilty.  “So I’m going to be cursed forever because you couldn’t mind your own damn  _ business?”   _ His voice cracks again as he yells and Oikawa actually flinches a little.

“Look, Tsu-Tsukishima-chan, magic needs to run its course.  __ It  _ will  _ break, but, um you need to break it.”  Oikawa glances over at the other teenagers in his shop, as if looking for reassurance.

Kei’s about to yell again, when Oikawa catches his eyes.  “Why are you so upset, Tsu-chan?”  The voice seems too gentle to have come out of the witch’s mouth and it makes Kei sick to his stomach.  But at the same time, his anger trickles away, leaving only his sadness behind.

“Yamaguchi’s feelings aren’t real,” he whispers, feeling the prickle of tears brimming in his eyes. 

Kei feels Oikawa try to put his hands on his shoulders, but he doesn’t want to kept still.  Suddenly, everything feels too close and overwhelming.  So Kei runs out, leaving Oikawa yelling after him.

* * *

 

“Shit, shit shit,” Oikawa curses, standing in his open doorway.  He can’t exactly run out and follow Tsukishima because the shop’s portal is held open by his magic and the minute he steps outside, the tree will revert back to its natural self.  But he’s directly responsible, and he needs to do  _ something. _

“You never explained to him how he can break the spell, did you?” Kenma asks, rummaging through his pockets for his PSP.

“No…” Oikawa is ashamed to admit it, but it had slipped his mind.  He figured Tsukishima would have asked by now, but why would he have, if he thought Oikawa could fix it.

“Wait, how do you break it?” Iwaizumi asks, looking rather lost.  

“Depends on the spell,” Kenma suggests, turning on his game now that the emotional meltdown is over.  “What conditions did you use, Oikawa?”

“Well… Tsu-chan wrote off the feelings of others, so I made him irresistible to teach him a lesson.”

“It didn’t work on all of us, though,” Kuroo states, looking over at Kenma for clarification.  “Is it because we’re around magic so much?”  As the best friends of witches, he and Iwaizumi had both witnessed and experienced many spells throughout their lives.

“Magic doesn’t fabricate emotions very well,” Kenma says dryly, “It can’t overwrite stronger, more genuine ones and it can’t fully replicate them either.  It’s why we can’t sell love potions; if the recipient is already in love then it doesn’t do anything, and at most, the potion can only create a shallow crush.”

“So how does it break, Oikawa?” Iwaizumi asks.

Oikawa bites his lip, knowing that his best friend is probably going to be pissed off at him for the answer.  “Tsu-chan needs to fall in love.”

 

* * *

 

Kei runs out of the park, with little consideration of where he’s heading.  When he realizes where he is, he wants to cry again.  Warm light emanates through the windows of the Yamaguchi household and Kei feels like a moth attracted to a streetlamp.  He wants to go anywhere else, but at the same time, he knows Yamaguchi is the one person who can probably make him feel better.

But he doesn’t want to try and talk about it, heck he doesn’t know how he’d even touch on the subject.  So Kei turns around to walk home.

_ We were supposed to meet to go to Oikawa’s today… What if he goes on his own and Oikawa tells him?   _ Kei stops, checking his phone to see what time it is.  The notifications of 15 missed calls fills his screen, the majority of them from Oikawa.  But the most recent two are from Yamaguchi.  And just as Kei reads his name, the door behind him opens. 

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi calls, making Kei freeze in his tracks.  He can hear quick footsteps until Yamaguchi reaches out and grabs onto his arm.  

“We weren’t supposed to meet for an hour,” Kei mumbles, wondering why Yamaguchi is looking for him already.

“Oikawa called me,” Yamaguchi whispers into Kei’s back.

Kei freezes.   _ Of course, _ he frowns,  _ Of course he would.   _

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says, “It’s okay. I, um, I found out about his spell a while ago.  I don’t think any differently of you!  And I’ll support you through it, until you manage to break it.  So you don’t need to be upset that Oikawa-san--that Oikawa-san can’t undo it himself.”  He seems to struggle with the end of his sentence, and Kei wonders what’s going through his best friend’s mind right now.

“When it does go away, you’ll think differently of me,” Kei replies, his tone emotionless enough to surprise even himself. 

“No, no I wouldn’t!” Yamaguchi exclaims, pulling on Kei’s arm to try and get him to turn around.

“Yes you would!!  Because he’s cast magic over you too! There’s no way you’d be friends with me otherwise,” Kei exclaims, finally wheeling around to face him, shaking his arm to remove his friend’s touch.

Turning around was an awful decision because now Kei can see the pain flash across Yamaguchi’s face at the declaration.  “Tsukki, that’s not true,” he whispers.

“I’m a jerk, that’s why Oikawa cursed me in the first place!!  So why would you be with me if you had the choice?!” Kei’s eyes are starting to hurt and he’s trying so badly not to cry again.  He doesn’t normally express his emotions openly, especially like this, but he’s just so overwhelmed and exhausted that it's all slipping out at once.

“Because you’re wonderful Tsukki.”  Yamaguchi takes a step closer, grabbing onto Kei’s hand.  His eyes are pained, but also extremely earnest.  “You’re wonderful.  You, you reached out to me, you spent time with me when I was alone and friendless.  You make me laugh.   You joined volleyball with me even though you didn’t really want to.  You gave me advice on how to block better.  You sit with me on the bus to away games and you let me fall asleep on your shoulder without complaining about it, even though I know I drool in my sleep sometimes.  You text me pictures of dogs because you know how much I want one.  You let me call and ask questions about the homework.  You accept all those gifts from your fans even though it keeps you from eating your lunch.  And I know you’ll say you do that because you have to, but you  _ don’t.   _ You could throw their gifts away, each and every day and then you might be able to save a little time for yourself.  But you let them each talk to you and let them stutter through their embarrassment, without complaining about it.”

With each sentence, Yamaguchi’s eyes get waterier, and by the last one he has to stop and sniffle for a moment before he continues.  “Tsukki you’re amazing.  Why don’t you see it?”

Kei feels like each word is piling on top of his chest, crushing his heart under their combined weight.  “You can’t really think that.  Oikawa told me he’d fix me if I helped you, that’s why we became friends.  And I made girls cry before.  That’s why Oikawa cursed me in the first place.  Didn’t he tell you that?”

“You walked me home because Oikawa asked you to.  And maybe he gave you incentive, but you didn’t have to be my friend to do what he asked.  You didn’t have to be my best friend, Tsukki.  You’re doing this because of who you are.”

Yamaguchi takes a step forward, close enough now that their faces are only six inches apart.  “You’re upset now because you’re afraid my feelings aren’t real.  That you’ve manipulated me with Oikawa’s magic.  Even now, you’re worried for me.”

“No,” Kei whispers, wrenching his eyes away in embarrassment.  “I’m worried for myself.  That you’re not really my friend and that everything between us is fake.”

“If you’d listen to me, you wouldn’t have to worry about it,” Yamaguch sighs.  “Tsukki, on the phone earlier, Oikawa’s friend was telling me about magic, and how it's really bad at making people feel things they don’t want to feel.  I  _ know _ what I feel, and believe me it’s very real.”

Kei can’t help but whimper at how much Yamaguchi seems to care.  How much he  _ does  _ care.  

At the noise, Yamaguchi pulls Kei towards him, hugging him tightly there on the street outside his house.  

“Th-thank you, Yamaguchi,” Kei whispers into his friend’s soft hair.

“You’re welcome, Tsukki.  I told you, I’m here for you, cursed or not.”

“You’re the wonderful one,” Kei mumbles.  “You-you brighten my day.”  Words aren’t usually Kei’s strong suit, especially when it comes to emotions, but Yamaguchi seems to understand. 

“Let’s go inside and watch a movie, Tsukki.”

* * *

On Monday when they go to school, the fanclub lines are suddenly gone.  Kei’s classmates greet him as he walks into the room, but they quickly turn back to their own conversations, almost bored.  It’s shocking really, just how quickly Kei goes back to being normal.  Sure, he has a few admirers left, but he can thank them for their feelings in a grand total of 15 minutes.  

The team is the same as always, in fact Tanaka and Noya practically cheer when they see the Tsukishima fan club is no longer waiting for him outside of the gym. 

At the end of the day, Kei and Yamaguchi walk home together, just like on any other day.  They talk about schoolwork, their teammates, and the people they pass on the street. 

“So, do you miss all the attention, Tsukki?” Yamaguchi finally asks.  

Kei looks over at his friend, at his bright, curious eyes.  And Kei can’t help but smile.  “Nah.  I’ve still got yours, and that’s all I need.”

* * *

**Tsu-chan:** you were able to get rid of it, weren’t you? You freaked me out for nothing

**Me:** idk what you’re talking about. Have more faith in urself

“So, they honestly have no idea what happened?  He still doesn’t know what broke it?” Iwaizumi asks as he looks at the texts over Oikawa’s shoulder.

“He’ll realize his feelings eventually.  Poor Tsu-chan is a little emotionally dense.”

“Like you, huh.”  Iwaizumi shoots Oikawa a pointed look.

“Iwa-chan!! Rude!”

Iwaizumi steps away, rolling his shoulders casually.  “So why didn’t the spell work on that Yamaguchi kid, anyway?”   


Oikawa exhales forcefully, blowing his bangs out of his face.  “Well, at the beginning, Yama-chan was very anxious and self-conscious and made a point to avoid eye-contact.  When we first met, he stared at the floor more than either of us.  So I figured he’d be okay until it was safe to look at Tsu-chan.”

“When would it be safe?”

“Oh, Iwa-chan do you listen?” Oikawa steps back into his friend’s space and leans in, not noticing the pink flush that expands across Iwaizumi’s face.  “When he starts crushing for real, the spell can’t touch him.”

“So they’re completely unaware that their feelings for each other are why the spell broke, not anything you did?”

“Yep,” Oikawa chirps, bounding a few steps ahead of Iwaizumi, skipping toward the gym for volleyball practice.  “They’ll figure it out eventually.  I have faith in them.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t going to try and push it along,” Iwaizumi remarks.

“Well I don’t know about Tsu-chan, but _ I _ learned my lesson.  Too much meddling is  _ bad. _ ”  Oikawa winks.  “Though I did bring those two together, so I  _ am  _ a worthwhile witch, aren’t I Iwa-chan?”

“Yeah, I guess you are.  Happy now?”

“Oh, Iwa-chan, your praise was all I ever wanted.”   
  



End file.
